Venetian blind bottom weights



Sept. 15, 1953 a B. WALKER 2,652,112

VENETIAN BLIND BOTTOM WEIGHTS Filed Oct. 28 1949 INVENTOR.

Patented Sept. 15, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE VENETIAN BLIND BOTTOM WEIGHTS Brooks Walker, Piedmont, Calif.

Application October 28, 1949, Serial No. 124,075

6 Claims. (Cl. 160-473) This invention pertains to weights to be applied to the bottom of the blind to secure the lifting cords, tapes or wires to effect a collapse in the blind when the lifting means is raised and to provide the necessary weight for lowering the blind and to overcome the friction in the lifting cords or other flexible elements used for collapsing the blind. Since the slats in most blinds are, of necessity, sufficiently stifi or rigid to support themselves individually between double ladder tapes or between tapes in case three or four tapes are used, it has been found unnecessary to provide a bottom rail as is generally used on Venetian blinds particularly where center cord lifts are used. With two tapes and conventional slats, two weights are used at the bottom of the ladder tapes to supply the necessary operating weight to the tapes and cords for proper lowering, with one weight at each tape. In case three tapes are used, a weight may or may not be necessary at the center tape depend" ing upon the stiffness of the slats. If such. a weight is necessary, a three-cord lift can be used with a three-cord cord lock, or two two-cord locks in tandem can be used which are well known in below the equalizer also in a manner well known in the industry. Ihe weights, as proposed, give great flexibility in production as they do not have to be cut to the length of the blind butv are the standard length for all blinds, or at.

least most blinds. There may be some cases where extra width weights of greater mass are necessary for overcoming the friction on excessively long blinds. For the most part, the weights can be stamped from rolled inexpensive metal stock.

Another object of the invention is to provide means whereby the tapes that support the slats in spaced relationship may be suitably attached to the weight so that the ladder tapes will closely hug the weights and that the the weights will move in unison with. the ladder tapes when the same are tilted.

Another feature of the invention is the construetion of a weight with its associated parts so that the weights might be cut from rolled stock and a straight through hole punched in the weight where the cord lock is to be attached and an adapter put in the hole which retains the knot in the end of the cord lock to properly secure the cord lock to the weight as it passes through the bottom slat.

Another object of the invention is to design a weight which grips the edge of the slat to hold the weight in position relative to the bottom slat so that it will not get askew and so that the hole that supports the blind through the passage of the lifting cord (which is knotted at the inside of the hole) may be held central relative to the center line of the slat.

Another object of the invention is to provide a weight which can be covered with a painted or otherwise attractive appearing clip which covers the weight and the method of securing the two sides of the ladder tape together under the weight for improved appearance and for greater flexibility in colors than might be provided with weights when different colored tapes are used.

Other features of the invention will be more particularly pointed out in the accompanying specifications and claims.

I have illustrated my invention by way of example in the following views, in which:

Figure 1 shows an end view partly cut away of a portion of a blind and a bottom weight showing one form of. the invention.

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 but showing another form of the invention.

Figure 3 is. an end perspective view taken through the lifting cord with the weight partly cut away showing the invention in larger scale as illustrated in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a view of the lower portion of a blind taken through the center of one of the ladder tapes showing another form of the invention.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the bottom slat and a portion of the ladder tape and lifting cord with the bottom weight illustrating the invention as shown in Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a perspective View of the bottom weight and tape locking pin as shown in Figure 1.

Figure '7 is aside elevation of a complete blind in reduced scale showing one form of the invention similar to that shown in Figures 2 and 3.

In all figures, like numerals of reference refer to similar or corresponding parts.

In Figure l, I have illustrated a ladder tape ill having staggered cross rungs *5, one being shown above the bottom weight it and one at the supporting position for the third slat above the bottom. The cross rung which supports the second slat above the bottom does not show as it is in front of the section through the lifting cordshown in Figure 1 The lifting cord if; is of the .usual type used for raising the blind and accumulating the slat pile at the top of the blind when fully raised. Lifting cord 20 is secured to the bottom weight 3!! by knot 20a which is nested within the stepped drilled hole 301) in the center of the lifting weight 30. 30a in bottom weight 33 is so formed that one side of the ladder tape l ma be securely held in by being forced into recess 3% with a tool and then having pin d8 pushed into the hole and being surrounded by a side member of the ladder tape is to secure ladder tape Hi to bottom weight 30. Any other type of clip, snap, tack or other similar device for securing the ladder tape to the bottom weight 30 may be used. The two sides of ladder tape it! are secured together in any suitable manner as at Illa by staple lllb which may be sewn, riveted, cemented, vulcanized or suitably secured by any other means. A bottom weight similar to 3B is used at the other of two ladder tapes if only two ladder tapes are used. If three ladder tapes are used and only two lifting cords, it may not be necessary to supply a weight at the center ladder tape as the primary function of the weights is to supply the necessary weight so that the blind will lower properly at the lower end of the operation and the weights will overcome the friction involved in the lifting cord passing through the slats, the pulleys in the head rail and the cord lock, et cetera. If the slats are strong enough to support themselves between the ladder tapes (which they always are), then they will obviously support themselves when raised as a slat pile as they are stiffer in this position than they are individually. A center tape may be necessary on some blinds but it has been found that it is often unnecessary to use a bottom rail on a three tape blind and still have proper functioning with only two bottom weights. However, a third bottom weight and three cords may be used with three cords passing through the cord lock, or two cord locks may be used if it is desirable to lift a three tape blind with three cords to prevent bottom sag in the slat accumulation. On a larger blind having four or five tapes, it would probably be desirable to use four cords on a direct lift with a four-cord cord lock and raising the blind by the pull of four cords with four bottom weights on four tapes and with four tapes use four bottom weights without a bottom weight on the center tape. The advantages in eliminating the cost and eX- pense of bottom rails (whether of wood or of metal), the problem of cutting bottom rails to the length of the blind, and the advantages of substituting pre-cut pre-painted bottom weights which give satisfactory operation of the lifting cords and do not require the problems of cutting bottom rails to length, will effect a blind that operates just as satisfactorily, is more economical to manufacture, and involves a more compact slat pile in the raised position than is the case when a bottom rail of conventional construction is used.

In Figures 2, 3, and '7, there is shown a different type of bottom weight 25 which is punched from bar stock of quarter or eighth round pattern, or other suitable pattern, and has a punched straight hole through it which may be cheaper to produce than a stepped drill hole as shown in Figure 1. To provide a suitable cord lock with a straight through hole, we have provided an insert 21 which has turned edge 21a which retains the knot 200,, while another turned edge 2'") is turned outwardly to keep the adapter 21 from pulling through the punched hole in the center of weight 25. Two additional holes or slots 25a and 25b may be provided if it is necessary to use a wire clip 28 which has ends 28a and 28b that clip over the ends of the route hole in the slat 5 to orient and secure weight 25 to bottom slat 5. In Figure '7 I have shown a blind with a head rail 4, tilt rail 3, ladder tapes l0, slats 5, tilt mechanism 3, and bottom weights 50, similar to the bottom weights shown in Figures 2 and 3.

Where it is desirable to cover the joining of the bottom of the side members of the ladder tape Ill, as at lfla by a staple or clip lfib, a clip 50 may be snapped on to the bottom weight by spring ends 50a and 50b snapping over the edges of bottom weight 25. This clip may be of any desired form and may have sides which cover the ends of bottom weight 25a and may be secured to it by these side members, or it may be secured to the bottom weight by curved ends 5a and 5b, as shown, which may be sprung over the edges of bottom weight 25, or may be slid over them from the end of the bottom weight 25.

In Figures 4 and 5, I have shown another form of the invention in which the bottom weight 60 has a stepped hole 600 for retaining the knot 20a of the lifting cord 20. The side members of the ladder tape are secured at Ma by suitable means lflb, and the bottom weight 60 is so formed that it has curled edges 88a and 6017 which engage the outer edges of the bottom slat 5. Bottom slat 5 may be slightly recessed where engaged by weight 60 to prevent clip or bottom weight 69 from moving endways on slat 5. However, if slat 5 is pressed together manuall to increase the curvature when it is snapped into place in bottom weight 50, sufiicient tension and gripping may be maintained between bottom slat 5 and weight 50 so that no notching of the edge of the slat 5 will be necessary. This construction is shown in Figure 4 and Figure 5. Cord 20 passes through the center stepped hole 581) in which the smaller portion 580 prevents the knot 20b from passing and provides the means for lifting the blind at the ladder tape shown. The bottom weight could also be above the slat or surround the slat with an opening under the slat for attaching the tapes to the slat in a manner similar to the attachment shown in Figure 1.

Although the foregoing description is necessarily of a detailed character in order to completely set forth the invention, it is to be understood that the specific terminology is not intended to be restrictive or confining and it is to be further understood that various rearrangements of parts and modification of structural detail may be resorted to without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention herein claimed.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a Venetian blind including a plurality of relatively thin vertically spaced slats upwardly arched in transverse section, a plurality of ladder tapes supporting said slats and a pair of lift cords extending vertically through apertures in said slats; the improvement comprising a member of substantial mass disposed beneath the lowermost of said slats in substantial alignment with each of said ladder tapes, each member having an upper face conforming with and engaging the lower concave surface of said lowermost slat, and a lower face engaged by the lower secured ends of the respective ladder tape, said members having relatively large recesses opening through their lower faces and apertures in their upper faces communicating with said recesses and aligned with said apertures in said slats, said lift cords extending through said apertures in said upper faces and having knotted lower ends disposed in said recesses, and means for maintaining the upper faces of said members in contact with the lower concave surface of said lowermost slat.

2. The structure according to claim 1, wherein each said member is provided with a slot in its lower face, said slot exending the full length of the member longitudinally of the slats and opening through said lower face by a restricted portion, said slot adapted to receive a loop portion of the corresponding tape, and a pin insertable through said loop portion within the large portion of the slot.

3. The structure according to claim 1, wherein said means comprises opposite edge portions on each said member in spaced overhanging relation to the upper face thereof engageable with the upper faces of the opposite edges of said lowermost slat and receiving said edges between same and said upper face of the member.

4. The structure according to claim 1, wherein said means comprises a wire clip of U form with the bight thereof extending transversely of the lower face of each said member, and with the legs thereof extending through vertical apertures in the member disposed at points intermediate the longitudinal center and opposite side edges thereof, and through an aperture in said lowermost slat and the free ends of said legs being turned over the edges of said apertures in said lowermost slat.

5. The structure according to claim 1, wherein said lift cord knot receiving recess and communicating cord receiving aperture in each said member is provided by a member having a cylindrical wall received in a Vertical aperture centrally of said first member, the lower end of said cylindrical wall being flanged outwardly into en- 6 gagement with the lower face of the first member, and the upper end of said cylindrical wall being unitary with a horizontal end wall provided with an aperture through which said cord passes and with the knot in the lower end thereof disposed within said cylindrical wall and below said horizontal wall.

6. In a Venetian blind including a plurality of relatively thin vertically spaced slats upwardly arched in transverse section, a plurality of ladder tapes supporting said slats and a pair of lift cords extending vertically through apertures in said slats within the lateral confines of respective ones of said ladder tapes; the improvement comprising a member of substantial mass disposed beneath the lowermost of said slats in substantial alignment with each of said ladder tapes, each member having an upper convex face conforming with and engaging the lower concave surface of said lowermost slat, and a lower face engaged by the lower secured ends of the respective ladder tape, means detachably connecting the lower end of each lift cord to a respective one of said members, and means for maintaining the upper convex faces of said members in contact with the lower concave surface of said lowermost slat.

BROOKS WALKER.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 16,966 Clark Apr. 7, 1857 331,150 Metcalf Nov. 24, 1885 563,169 Gunn June 30, 1896 1,993,173 Kuyper Mar. 5, 1935 2,220,064 Clark, Jr Nov. 5, 1940 2,224,943 Wheeler Dec. 17, 1940 2,314,461 Schaefer Mar. 23, 1943 2,402,894 Jablin June 25, 1946 2,485,217 Semilof Oct. 18, 1949 

